Key-White, Hicks, Whitehead claim Junior Olympic state titles for Wide Awake

CONCORD — Led by its three individual state champions at the USA Track and Field North Carolina Association Junior Olympic Championships last weekend, the Wilson Wide Awake Elite Track Club racked up a whopping 39 qualifiers for the National Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships in Texas in late July.

The top 12 finishers in each event proceeded directly to the national championships after the June 20 announcement that the USATF Region III Junior Olympic Championships had been canceled. Previously, only the top eight from the state championship moved onto regionals.

Six different Wide Awake competitors claimed 11 medals for top-three finishes while another 19 ribbons (places 4-8) were awarded to club members.

Mason Whitehead and Rachel Key-White each qualified for nationals in three events while winning a state championship. Whitehead ruled the Boys Ages 11-12 400-meter dash with a time of 58.21 seconds and Key-White claimed the Girls Ages 17-18 high jump by clearing 1.6 meters (5 feet, 3 inches).

Aaron Hicks breezed to victory in the Boys Ages 13-14 800 run with a time of 2:21.23. Hicks also placed fourth in the 400 dash in 55.59 to clinch a spot at nationals.

Whitehead posted a pair of runner-up finishes in the 100 and 200 while brother Ayden Whitehead was second in the Boys Ages 11-12 400 and third in the 200.

Key-White, who won national titles in high jump at the AAU Indoor National Championships in February and the AAU Outdoor Nationals earlier this month, collected a third-place medal in the Girls Ages 17-18 100 hurdles 15.56 seconds and was fifth in the long jump with a leap of 5.14 meters (16-10).

Mireici Hicks took the runner-up spot in the Girls Ages 15-16 1,500 run with a time of 5:46.02. She was fifth in the 800 run.

Bobby Key took second in the Boys Ages 15-16 high jump by clearing 1.7 meters (5-7) and was third in the long jump with a leap of 5.39 meters (17-8).

Aiden Dye ran to a pair of fourth-place finishes in the Boys Ages 11-12 100 and 200 dashes in 13.56 and 27.61, respectively, while Pay’Tyn Sommirs was fourth in the Girls 8-Under 100 dash in 15.92 and fifth in the 200 in 33.32. Kaden Faulkner was fourth in the Boys 9-10 200 dash in 32.57 and fifth in the 100 in 15.12. He also qualified in the 400 by finishing ninth.

Genesis Key placed fifth in the Girls 13-14 long jump with a leap of 4.38 meters (14-4) and Ty’Nasia Emory was fifth in Girls 17-18 100 dash in 12.51.

Lennox Jones was sixth in the Boys 9-10 100 dash in 15.28 and seventh in the 200 in 34.65 while Ayden Bowens finished sixth in the Boys 11-12 200 dash in 28.19 and seventh in the 100 in 13.8. Urijah Bridges placed sixth in the Boys 15-16 100 dash in 11.85 and eighth in the 200 in 23.95.

Mila Jones, competing in the Girls 8-Under division, was seventh in the open 100 in 17.98 seconds and 11th in the 200 in 40.8. Dyqwhan Bowens also collected a ribbon for his eighth-place finish in the Boys 13-14 100 dash in 12.56. Bowens also qualified in the 200 by finishing ninth.

Other Wide Awake runners to qualify for the national meet were Jaia Morgan in the Girls 11-12 100 and 200 after finishing ninth in each race; Nahla Smallwood in Girls 11-12 100 and 200 and Nevyn Smallwood in the Girls 8-Under 100.

Wide Awake founder and head coach Maurice Williams was delighted with his athletes’ showing, especially some of the younger ones.

“This year was special because a lot of my smaller children qualified, ages 5-9 boys and girls,” he said. “I always had the high schoolers and middle schoolers, now the younger runners have stepped up. This shows that our club is complete.”

The next meet for Wide Awake is the Lee Vernon McNeill Southeast Track Club Invitational on Saturday, July 13, at Garner Magnet High.

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